When I asked Martina to come on over to my blog, of course she asked me if I wanted a recipe and in Martina's fine form she asks "what do you need the focus to be?"

My response "quick, easy and a nutritious option to save me during the week when I work long hours and opt for take away!"

Below you will see a snippet of the Martina that gives and gives. Throughout the below recipes there are tips on how to store your vegetables for freshness, how to effectively prep your food, save yourself time, a meal plan AND learn about what your putting on the end of your fork xx

Martina and I would love for you to tag your attempts at her recipes! #martinazand #lifeiscomingfromme

Martina, from Martina's Kitchen

When Lauren asked me to write for her blog, I thought I should include some exclusive recipes for all you lovely readers out there. We both agreed that most people struggle with quick, healthy dinner ideas after a long day at work. So I have compiled a line of recipes, that require one day of food prep (for the lentils and pumpkin), then you can throw together meals within 15 minutes for the other nights. You get 3 full meals plus 2 snacks out of the one day food prep.

I chose lentils as the star ingredient here. Most people don’t really know what to do with them, so hopefully this will give you some more ideas. Lentils are a great plant based protein source, filled with lots of fiber to keep you full for longer, and give you plenty of long lasting energy.

All recipes will give you one serving (except the dip), so you can easily double the portions for more people in your household or if you wanted to take leftovers for your lunchbox the next day.

Mixed Veggie Salad with Lentils - By Martina Zand

Mixed Veggie Salad with Lentils

If you want to make some extra to take along to work the next day, fill a tupperware container this way:

start with the dressing on the bottom

add the lentils, chopped tomatoes, cucumber, artichokes, olives

next top with the chopped pepper

add the leafy greens on top

put the nuts and seeds in an extra tiny container or zip lock bag to keep crunchy

Close the container and keep in fridge. When you are ready to eat the salad, just shake it to let the dressing mix with the rest of the ingredients, then sprinkle with nuts and seeds.

Makes 1 serving:

For the dressing:

7 sun dried tomatoes (either dried and soaked in water or the ones out of the oil, oil drained off)

To make the dressing, combine the ingredients in a food processor and process for 1 minute until a smooth, creamy dressing comes out. You may have to stop your food processor in between to scrape the mixture down from the sides. If you feel your food processor is too big to make this amount of dressing (mine is!), then double the dressing ingredients and use it again for another salad.

Pour the dressing over your salad and use your hands to mix this well. The dressing is not as liquid as some vinaigrettes, so make sure all veggies are coated nicely with the dressing.

Sprinkle with nuts and seeds and enjoy.

Lentil Tahini Energy Balls - by Martina Zand

Lentil Tahini Energy Balls

You can half the recipe if you are not a big snacker. I love to make bigger batches and share with everyone at work!

Makes 25 pieces:

1 cup oats

½ cup lentils

½ cup raisins, soaked in water for 30 minutes

4 Tbsp honey or liquid sweetener

2 Tbsp tahini

1 Tbsp cinnamon

¼ tsp cardamom (optional!)

pinch sea salt

½ cup sesame seeds for rolling

Place all ingredients in the food processor and process until a smooth dough forms. The lentils should break down slightly and not stay whole.

Take 1 teaspoon of dough at a time and roll in between your hands to a small ball. Then roll the balls in the sesame seeds.

Keep the balls in a tupperware container in the fridge. Here they will harden slightly and keep well for up to 3 days. Plenty of healthy snacking is in your future!

Lentil Basil Dip - By Martina Zand

Lentil Basil Dip

This dip can also double as a pesto-y pasta sauce or combined with spiralized zucchini. Give it a try!

Makes 2 servings:

2 cups lentils

1 cup spinach

1 cup packed basil

¼ cup lemon juice

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp sea salt

pepper to taste

chili flakes (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process for up to 2 minutes. You should get a creamy dip out of this, nothing too chunky.

Top with chili flakes.

Will keep in fridge for 2 days. Serve with your favorite veggie sticks!

Lentil & Veggie Stir fry

Lentil Stir Fry

This dish actually gets better if you keep it in the fridge for a day or two. The flavors marinate beautifully this way! So you could totally make more of this and eat a the same dinner a few times.